Field of the invention
The present invention relates in general to a safety system attached to the seat belt system installed in a motor vehicle. We've learned from studying the laws of physics that when an automobile is in motion, all objects within it, such as an occupant, are also said to be in motion. If the moving automobile suddenly stops, as in the event of an accident where it is struck by or strikes another object, the occupant still continues to travel at the same speed and direction as when the vehicle had been in motion. The occupant will continue in motion until something stops them, usually the steering wheel, dashboard, windshield or other part of the automobile's interior, if they are not restrained by a seat belt. Most injuries and fatalities that occur during an automobile accident are the result of such incidents.
Most states have laws requiring motor vehicles to have seat belts installed and require all its occupants to wear them when in the vehicle. Seat belts strap an individual across the waist and shoulders to the seat of the car and are designed so that they firmly hold the individual to the seat in an accident. Because an individual is restrained to the vehicle's seat by the seat belt, they are presumed to incur less serious and fatal injuries in an accident. Seat belts come in many configurations. A seat belt consists of, as a minimum, a strap that is secured across the occupants lower abdomen. This strap crossing the users' abdomen is commonly called a lap strap. Most seat belts in vehicles today incorporate the use of a shoulder strap with the lap strap. The shoulder strap extends from the outside of one of the users hips and travels up across the users torso to their shoulder on the opposite side. The belt crossing the users torso is commonly called the shoulder strap. In some vehicles, shoulder straps and lap belts are provided in the rear passenger seats as well as the front passenger seats. Some vehicles automatically put the shoulder strap on the passenger as they sit in the vehicles' seats. These are called automatic seat belts.
Most of us are reasonably comfortable when wearing a seat belt and are, indeed, safer than without one. However, pregnant women and their fetuses' are not as safe with a seat belt as they could be because of the change in size and shape of the woman's growing abdomen. The fetus inside of a pregnant woman is very delicate and is located slightly above her pelvic bone shortly after conception. The lap strap tends to ride across the abdomen of a pregnant woman where the fetus is located, instead of below this critical area. Because of this, some pregnant women choose not to wear their seat belt, or lap strap if the vehicle is equipped with an automatic shoulder harness, for fear of the potential injuries the lap strap may inflict on the fetus. If the pregnant woman is in an automobile accident while the lap strap is across her abdomen, the fetus is in danger of being seriously, and maybe even fatally, harmed when the mother's torso slides slightly forward against the lap strap as the seat belt tries to restrain her in the car seat as before mentioned.
A number of books published on the subject of prenatal care often caution the expectant mother to make sure that when riding in a car, the lap strap is placed snugly under her abdomen, and as low on her hips as possible. She is never to place the lap strap directly across or above her abdomen where it can cause major injuries to the fetus in an accident. This way, if the expectant mother is in an accident, the strap under her abdomen will not exert direct pressure on the fetus as the strap holds her firmly to the car seat. However, if for the following reasons the lap strap is not positioned correctly on the mother to be because: she forgets to adjust the seat belt as suggested by the experts, her position on the seat prevents proper lap strap placement, her clothing and/or size interferes with the proper use of the lap belt, then the fetus will receive the pressure of the lap belt directly in an event of an accident.
The description of this patent addresses specifically pregnant woman. However, other people with special conditions may also find it advantageous in making use of this invention. People who are obese or have had colostomies, ureterostomies, various surgeries or abdominal abnormalities caused by disease or birth defects can also use this invention to be safer and feel more comfortable when in a motor vehicle.
The description of this patent also addresses specifically cars and car seats. However, other modes of transportation such as airplanes and other seats such as wheel chairs can also use this invention.
Thus, the objective of this invention is to help prevent the lap strap of a seat belt from riding across the abdomen of a pregnant woman.